Lubricating device



Jan. 13, 1925-' M2314@ N. PHALEN ET AL LUBRICATING `DEVICE Filed April l0l 192.4l

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Patented Jan. 13, 1925.

CHARLE PHALEN, OF OXFORD, AND ROBERT V. BAXTER, OF HAMLTON, OHIO.

I LUBRICATING DEVICE.

Application led April 10, 1924. Serial No 705,628.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES PHALnN and ROBERT V. BAXTER, citizens of the' United States, and residents of'Oxford and l-Iamilton, respectively, in the county of -valves have insulicient lubrication, and become rusty, so much that they `stick When a valve gets into this condition in an engine, the damage. is apt to bev widespread to the entire mechanism, and requires immediate attention of a skilled mechanic, which is naturally not always available. Also to the unskilled person, a sticking valve is not recognized at once, so that the prompt attention necessary is. often not given. Furthermore, the excessive wear on valve stems, rocker arms, and other parts, makes the engine noisy, and it is an ancillary attribute of our invention, that it cuts down the noise of the valve operation, even when the pal'ts are in normal condition.

It is our object to provide a lubricating device in the form to be noted, which will maintain the valve stems in Well lubricated condition, and shield the stems and rocker arms from moisture of condensation, and will, as has been noted, cut down the hammering sound of the valve operation, at all i tu-ues.

We accomplish our object by that certain device to be hereinafter more specifically pointed out in a preferred embodiment, and he novelty therein set forth in the appended claims.

ln the drawing:

Figure l is a section taken through the valve, operatingr eiise of an internal combustion engine, the particular showing being of a Buick automobile.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the lubricating device.

Figure 3 is a section taken through one of the grommets of the lubricating device.

In the illustration of an engine valve case,

there is shown the rocker arm shaft l, on which are the rocker arms 2. There is a supporting plate 3. on which the rocker arm shaft is supported, and in which are. the guides 4, for the valve stems There are springs 6 around the valve stems, keeping them up against the rocker arms.

The rocker arms are operated by lifter rods 7 vthe rods being reciprocated by cam shaft (not shown). A cover 8 is arranged to enclose the valve operating, or rocker arm case. The cover is supported on studs 9, which in this instance are two in number, and extend up from the supporting plate 3.

The case is held at the sides by means of bolts having shanks 10 and wing nuts 11.

Someother form of providing a valve case can be provided, and the entire cover can be omitted, if desired, although this is antiquated practice. A\ customary form of lubrication for the rocker arms on their supporting' shaft is a wick feed extending through an oil passage l! in the rocker arms.

Our lubricating device is in the form of a pad, which in our preferred embodiment has a special construction, in order that the lubricant shall be properly distributed and that the pad may not dry out and become scorched from the `heat of the engine.

We have found that the best results are attained by a ad made of two ieces 13 and 14 of close y woven pure woo stitched to each other around the edges so as to leave the center as a sort of a pocket. By making the pad of two pieces and stitching around the edges, the flow of the lubricant is checked so as to distribute the lubricant evenly over the parts. As a guiding means for the pad, grommets 15 are provided to set over the cover supporting studs.

In some other form'of support, another device could be employed to guide the pad while permitting it to be free otherwise. The pad is of a size to lie over all of the rocker arms, and rest upon them, and to overhang the upper ends of the valve stems.

Before installing pads of the structure noted, it is necessary' to soak them in lubricating oil for an extended period,.as they will at. a mere dipping fail to absorb any substantial quantity of oil. Once they are well soaked, however, it will be easy to add oil, by sprinkling it on the to surface of the pad, whereupon the pad wi l absorb the added oil at once.

In operating the rocker arms when they l tip to and fro, push up the pad and take rocker arms probably sets up a mist. of oil .which covers the parts in the rocker arm casing. One saturating with oil will cause the pad to last for a numberI of weeks of ordinary running. Any condensation of moisture in the cover element will not aect the valves, as the moisture will drop onto the protecting pad, and flow ott' to the sides, where it will not reach the stems.

The pad being between the rocker arms and the top of the casing, will act to take jarring away from the rocker arms at the ends of their motion, and hence to cut down the normal clicking of the arms and valves.

As has been noted, we have described a single embodiment ofour invention, which has proven superior in our tests, but we wish to cover mechanical equivalents thereof, where consistent with the wording of the claims that follow.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method of lubricating the overhead valve stems of internal combustion engines which consists in causing the rocker arms of the valve mechanism as they are rocked to receive lubrication by repeated contact with a lubricant saturated pad.

2. In combination with the rocker arms and valve stems of an overhead valve engine, of a pad of lubricant saturated exible material, and means for supporting the pad in position resting upon the rocker arms. and al casing surrounding the rocker arms andvalve stems, for the purpose described.

3. In combination with the rocker arms and valve stemsof an overhead Valve engine, a. casing enclosing the said arms and stems, and a pad of lubricant saturated material mounted within the case in position to be engaged by the rocker arms, and free to move under contact with said arms,'said pad extending across the case so as to form alshield against drops of moisture condensed in the casing from dropping onto the valve stems.

4. A pad for lubrication of overhead valve stems, and adapted for Contact with the rocker arms of the overhead -valve" system, comprising a plurality of layers of Woven felt, secured together around the edges, so as to leave., the interior surfaces of the layers, free to each other.

5. A pad for lubrication of overhead valve stems, and adapted for contact with the rocker arms of the overhead valve system, comprising a plurality of layers of woven felt, secured together around the edges, so as to leave the interior surfaces of the layers, free to each other, and grommets set through the pad, for mounting over the cover supporting studs of ay rocker arm and valve ste-menclosing case.

CHARLES PHALEN. ROBERT V. BAXTER. 

